Isaac And Brittany .com

The Congo (DRC) -- this summer!

2011-05-02T13:42:00.001-07:00

We have always felt that our 2 and a half years in Sierra Leone were a training time for us. Learning African culture and how to live in the the third world, growing a love for its people and getting on the ground understanding of how to help.

Missions work has three parts in our opinion one is the preaching of the Gospel, bringing the good news of Jesus to people who do not know Him. Secondly is 'mercy ministry', meeting practical needs, food, clean water, clothing, and education among others. The third is that of prayer, God's way of bringing heaven to earth.

We moved to Oklahoma city with the understanding that from there we would go, in partnership with 'No-Boundaries International' to another nation in Africa. In the months before we moved here we began to be stirred about the 'DRC' (Democratic Republic of Congo). A series of events began to point us toward that nation, and as we have been here this last year our desire to go to the DRC has solidified. We both want to go and feel that it is indeed the nation God is calling us to next.

Out of the place of prayer (the house of prayer) God sends out missionaries (Acts 2, Matt 9:38). We came here to build a house of prayer as a sending place for missionary work in the nations and we ourselves are being sent to the DRC from there.

We have already built key relationships with missionaries stationed in Goma, DRC, a town bordering Rwanda on Congo's eastern side. The two ministries we felt we would work with, one being 'Iris Ministries' are working there already. Our own organization, has a division called 'the Well' run by two women who adopted children from there and now take short term trips and advocate for Congolese women and children in crisis.

Brittany, Anna, and I are not planning to go as a family anytime in the near future. I am however going this summer on a three-four week 'scouting' trip with 5 others from our 'No-Boundaries' team.

Please consider supporting us either for this 'short term' trip or becoming a long term partner in our plan to go next year.

Anna Grace Oltersdorf

2011-02-23T19:12:00.001-08:00

Anna Grace, one month old, 5 lbs-12 oz a birth.
With Grandma Marcia, Grandpa Phil, smiling, and with Mom :)

We are the happiest parents around, so blessed by this beautiful little girl. Thank you all for your love, thoughts, and prayers!!

The House of Prayer

2010-12-03T07:04:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends and Family:

We hope this letter finds you doing well as we approach the end of the year. We are excited to share our latest news with you. We have started the “No Boundaries International House of Prayer,” and welcome you to be a part of this growing ministry through your prayer and support.

" There was also a prophet, Anna…She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them (Jesus, Mary, and Joseph) at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all…(Luke 2:36-38)

Anna, the name of our unborn daughter

In September the Lord spoke the name ‘Anna’ to my heart for our little girl. “She’s born into a house of prayer, her name is Anna” That same week, while visiting with my pastor, he exclaimed while praying. “there is something very significant about the birth of this little girl and your ministry!”. He couldn't put his finger on it but Brittany and I have since understood more clearly.
The first 2 ½ years of our marriage were spent in Sierra Leone. After returning in December of 2009 the one thing we knew is that we are not done with Africa. The previous 2 ½ years was just a beginning, it was a training time. We were not done pursuing God and His love for the poor of the world.

Since then God has been putting the pieces together. The Bible says that the Father ‘prunes’ us, the branches, so that we will grow back bigger. This period of time, back in the USA, seems to be just that, a time of pruning. As a result we are about to have a bigger family with Brittany due to give birth to our first in January, we have joined with a big family of people with our same heart, and we have a bigger clarity about what God has for us to do and how we are to do it.

‘She is born in a house of prayer, her name is Anna’

God has been using the upcoming birth of our little girl to show the path He has for us. She is going to be born into a ‘house of prayer’. We moved to Oklahoma City to join with a group of missionaries we had met in Sierra Leone. They asked us to come join their team and lead this new part of their organization. The No Boundaries International House of Prayer was born.

Right in the center of our office space is the worship room we call the ‘house of prayer’ where we come into the presence of God and hear His heart for the nations. Jesus told the disciples to ‘pray that the Lord of the harvest would send out laborers’. This is ‘Anna’ style missionary work.
The house of prayer serves local churches by aiding people in many congregations and denominations in growing in their relationship with God as well as praying directly for the church as a whole in Oklahoma City. The house of prayer is central to our work as a missions organization as a place for missionaries to ‘debrief’ coming off the field and also to be sent out into it. We believe nothing worthwhile in this type of work happens outside of prayer. This is what we believe dependence on God looks like, focused time in prayer and worship concerning our work in the nations.

Fruitfulness from an increase of prayer in missions work

We spent our first three months in Africa at a school for missionaries run by Heidi Baker. She has worked for around 20 years in Mozambique. The school taught us all kinds of things but we went away with the message that “…all fruitfulness (positive impact) comes from intimacy (relationship with God).” Our experience has shown that to be true, we have nothing to offer these other cultures unless the love of God himself flows through us. Money doesn’t fix things, the solution isn’t to impose our ‘western culture’ on them. The solution is to know and pour out the love of God on people because it is that that gives them the courage, freedom, and strength to live the way they were created to. Heidi and Rolland Baker and the thousands of kids that they care for, the schools they have started, the people that have been healed and changed into followers of Jesus, all of what they have seen has come through simple desperation for God to make a way, for Him to show up and do what only He can do. Giving God his place missions puts prayer and worship in the center of it. That is what dependence on God looks like and that is how His power and love come into impossible circumstances, through people who are dependent on Him rather than dependent on themselves.

‘Anna’ was a missionary

God gave us a fitting name for our daughter, the woman who centered her life on ministering to God and had the insight from Him to see who Jesus was and proclaimed that good news with the world around her, she ‘spoke about the child to all…’

Around the first of the year we are going to be ordained as ministers by No Boundaries International, Brittany and I will move into our first apartment together, and little Anna will be born. We believe it is also marks the start of our transition out of part time jobs on the side and into full time ministry.

In order to make that transition we are looking for people who believe in what we are doing and would like to partner with us financially. Would you consider supporting us in this work on a monthly basis? Your donations are tax-deductible. Our goal is $1,500 - $2,000 per month for living and ministry expenses. We are honored to know you and we love you thank you for taking interest in our lives and our calling.

Love

Isaac, Brittany, and Anna

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If you would like to support us, you can send it by mail to:

No Boundaries International
c/o Isaac & Brittany Oltersdorf
49 E. 15th St, Edmond, OK 73013

You can also support us securely through Paypal by clicking the 'donate' button on the top-right corner of the screen.
All donations go through 'No Boundaries International' and are tax deductible
'make a note with any online donation that it is for 'Isaac and Brittany'

If you would like to support us monthly we can also set up a subscription through Paypal where it would automatically be sent to us every month.
Please contact us for more information on this option.

We would love to talk to you: Phone: 970-692 4810 -- Email: Ioltersdorf@yahoo.com

Happy Thanksgiving from Isaac and Brittany

2010-11-24T09:33:00.000-08:00

Last night after having dinner, Brittany was driving one of the handful of girls she has been mentoring home. This one ‘Jenny’ has been in a dark place, depressed and often alone. “I’ve never felt God the way you talk about it” she explained. “Well let’s ask Him to show you!” responded Brittany. They sat outside of Jenny’s house and prayed “Wow” exclaimed Jenny. “Did you feel anything?” Brittany asked, “Yea it feels cool, it’s like all the worry and fear is just leaving, it feels like light!”
The Bible says that we love God because He loved us first. Whether in high school or business, Sierra Leone or America, people’s hearts long to know the Love of God. To see it, to feel it, to experience the embrace of a Heavenly Father.
That embrace has led us around the world, for love, there is an unending quest in our hearts to know and make known the love of Jesus.
In a trip recently to a border town in Mexico across from Del Rio Texas. There had been over 70 murders up to that point this year; the store that we had used to buy candy had been blown up by a car bomb. All the aid that had been there through churches and other NGO’s had left because of the increase of violence. Our team went and prayed, for hours each day, before doing anything else.
One day after praying and worshiping in the Mexican church, our team went out to give candy to kids. They were met by one of the leaders of the Mexican Mafia in that area. He began to just pour out his story. He had been a soldier serving in Iraq with the Mexican army and was now a part of the Mafia. He showed off his scars. “Do you think God would forgive me for all the bad things I’ve done?” He asked suddenly.
God really is the answer, the hearts of hardened criminals and children alike ask, “Am I loved?” “Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down His life for his friends” He showed us first, Jesus laid His life down an act that screamed “Yes, you are loved” and it still echoes down through the ages, freeing the hearts of men and women from loneliness, accusation, addiction, shame, and pride.
We are working with friends now; God has brought us into a family of people here in Oklahoma City with the same heart as us. We are together ‘Going to the nations, in community, spreading the love of God, from a foundation of prayer and worship’. Brittany and I couldn’t be happier and little Anna, our ‘soon-to-be-born’ is going to be brought into a great big loving family.

We love you all thank you for loving us so well!
You mean the world to us.
Isaac, Brittany, and Anna

No Boundaries International
49 15th Street
Edmond, Ok
73013 C/O ‘Isaac and Brittany’

Lots Developing in OKC!

2010-07-13T19:38:00.000-07:00

First I want to thank all of you who have decided to partner with our work here by giving financially, we were very blessed by the response from our last email when we asked for support.

There has been a lot of wonderful things going on here in Oklahoma City. Brittany and I are doing really well and so is Baby Oltersdorf. We had a checkup on Monday and (this is an ultrasound picture).

I (Isaac) am working at Sam's club. They gave me a perfect schedule for me to still be heavily involved with 'No-Boundaries International'
They gave me hours I needed and I didn't even have to ask. A few days after we had arrived here in OKC I walked into Sams and said to Brit, 'I'm gonna work here'. They were my first application and immediately after our trip to Kansas City I called them and got an interview.
People are taking care of us so well here, we have had the use of a car for now and a place to live. We are planning for the coming of the baby in January!
I want to write later and tell all of you about the work we've started doing, its really fun and really exciting but I just wanted to give a quick update for now.
We love you all so much
Isaac and Brittany

We need your help.

2010-06-15T22:24:00.001-07:00

Dear Friends and Family
This is a letter asking if some of you might consider supporting us during this 2010 in our work with the missions agency No-Boundaries International.
As many of you have heard Brittany and I moved out here to Oklahoma City to be a part of expanding the No-Boundaries International operation. I am now in charge of the programming and direction of a house of prayer as well as writing and implementing an internship for missions work based in prayer/intimacy with God. Brittany is helping run our programs for children in some of the schools in the inner city this summer.
Our heart is that we will go to the nations and equip others to do the same, with a heart full of the love of God, fully equipped to meet practical needs with cross-cultural sensitivity, and to spread the message of God’s love in Jesus Christ rooted in a life of prayer and the Word.
We believe that there are no boundaries to Gods work in the nations of the earth and God has positioned us to build a training center so that He might be known, and His love felt, to the ends of the earth.
Would you support us? It is only possible for us to work part time to support ourselves and we need some help from you. We are asking for some of you to consider supporting us monthly and help us establish ourselves here (and wait for little baby 'O') :)
If you would like to help you can do so by going to www.nbint.org. All donations are tax deductible. If you would like to support us monthly please e-mail Sandy Orchard at sorchard2000@yahoo.com and tell her that you would like to support Isaac and Brittany monthly and she will help you to set that up.
Thank you for loving us and investing in His work through our lives
Love

Isaac and Brittany

Oklahoma City

2010-06-03T18:45:00.000-07:00

Its been awesome being here in Oklahoma City. Our friends here, the 'No Boundaries International' team have welcomed us in with a lot of love. We are joining them now and feel so blessed to be able to work with such an amazing group of people.

God has put us all together and its amazing to see the differnet peices of the body He has assembled, such a funny crew. We spent the last three days at Lake Chickasha Jet Skiing, praying, and planning for the rest of the summer.

No Boundaries International is a missions organization that does work in multiple countries. We met them in Sierra Leone but they also work extensivly in Haiti and Mexico and we are looking forward to the next frontier which is the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo).
Our next step however, is not to any of those nations. We feel called by God to start a house of prayer as the center of all we are doing. For the purpose that everything we do will be from the place of humbling ourselves before the Father, seeking His heart, seeking His plans, letting Him prepare us and empower us to spread His love to the nations.
An analogy that I saw when we came here is that of Oklahoma City itself. It is a city that was built around oil. The oil became the fuel for the growth of the city. The same is true with prayer, Jesus said that just as fathers here on Earth know how to give good gifts to thier children so our Father will give the Holy Spirit to everyone who asks. The Spirit of God is our 'oil' the fuel that powers all we do, gives direction, love and understanding. Prayer is the drill or pump, it is the 'asking' of our Father for greater breakthrough of what is in heaven to come to the sick, poor, and dying on this earth.
So we are setting ourselves up for somthing greater than what 'men' can accomplish alone. We are organizing ourselves to put what is important to God first and we know that He will give us what we need to fulfill the rest of what He has put in our hearts.

NEWS FLASH -- NEWS FLASH -- NEWS FLASH

Brittany and I are expecting, we found out we are are about 7 weeks pregnant!!!! We are so excited to share the news with all of you!!!!

Oklahoma City

2010-05-10T23:23:00.000-07:00

The last six months have been awesome. God has opened so many doors. I (Isaac) have healed emotionally and physically. And He has done so much in our hearts. Family has been the richest part, so much catching up - so much love. We've met and grown with so many wonderful people here in Denver and Fort Collins. It has been some of the richest times of friendship Ive ever known.
We've been working perfect jobs for the transition, my job at a grocery store was awesome, I was totally favored in the position I was given and the pay I got. Brittany worked with children, as a nanny for a 3 and 1 year old, as well as volunteering at a day shelter for women and the boys and girls club. Its been amazing, a real testimony to the faithfulness of God to us...He has led us so well.
We are off to Oklahoma City, the plan is to start a house of prayer and to do inner city children's ministry, and to establish ourselves with a team of people known as NBI (No Boundaries International). We've grown very close with the founders who worked alongside with us in Sierra Leone. They took multiple trips to Sierra Leone while we were there and provided vision and funding for much of the work we did.
We know this is the next step, and that's as much as we know, we have such a promise in our hearts about the move despite the unknowns. There is so much grace to make this step, we've felt the hand of God all over it since we said yes. (even our plane tickets, 40 dollars)
Be praying for us, God has plans for us while we are there and is directing our steps to the next place He wants to send us in Africa.
You are all such a blessing and we love you so much!

A new piece of the quilt

2010-01-15T21:21:00.000-08:00

A friend of ours recently prayed for Brittany and I. While she was praying she said she saw a picture in her minds eye and felt it was from the Lord. It was a quilt, one piece being completed, another just beginning, the entire quilt was scattered with hearts, the lives of people we have helped to love.

We know all of you reading this are being challenged just like we are by the current devastation in Haiti. Our hearts are opened when we see the orphaned, the injured, the mourning, the hungry and the thirsty. It makes us ask, 'but what can I do?' That question right now is leading people to do more than they thought they could. Many are giving their hard earned money. Some are dropping everything to go and help. There will be many who leave their lives as they are now and join the people of Haiti in rebuilding their country.

Why? Because of the love awakened in us all realizing that these people are no different than you, than me. Their lives are so important, so precious, so worth everything.

This 'stretching of the heart' is what has most impacted us during the last 2 and 1/2 years in Sierra Leone. We have lived with Pastor Andrew and his BIG family, we have ate and been hungry, laughed and cried, we have learned to give of ourselves in ways we never thought we could, spurred on by love. Sierra Leone has been a training ground for us, and a very good one. God used Pastor Andrew and his family as our teachers. They patiently lived with us, taught us, fed us, and loved us. They are our S.Leonian family.

Our plan has been to spend through 2010 in Sierra Leone helping with Iris Ministries there. We have always felt, along with Pastor Andrew, that God has another nation in mind for us in the future.

We are transitioning sooner than we originally thought. As we have prayed and sought the Lord we know that the time is now for this new 'piece of the quilt'.

We plan to spend this 2010 in Colorado. Brittany is going to study theology in an on-line school as well as volunteer at a Denver organization for single mothers. I am going to get my health back and work. We are also going to set up our own 501c(3) because our vision for the future is going that provision.

We need your prayers, that we would know the will of God, that our hearts would be able to give what He has put inside of them in the place that He has purposed for us.

We love you all. We want to thank you for believing in us, supporting us, praying for us. You have cared for us and stood behind us in our pursuit to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength and love our neighbor as ourselves.

If you are currently giving to us, thank you. We won't be needing it during this season. If you want to continue to give to Iris ministries go to www.irismin.com .
If you need help unsubscribing from paypal please email a reply and we will help you!

We will keep you all posted as we are setting our sights on our next assignment in Africa.

We love you all

Isaac and Brittany Oltersdorf

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T20:06:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and yours!

We want to write you and tell you all how grateful we are for you this Christmas season.

Our hearts are warm with love here in Colorado with our friends and family.

We had a wonderful second year in Sierra Leone. As many of you know we have been living and working with a Sierra Leonian family, (pastor Andrew and his wife, their 8 children, and many others in the ministry and his family in the surrounding compound). We are missing all of them as we spend the Christmas season here.

Some highlights from the last year:

Isaac started a business and successfully additional funds for the work in Africa.
Brittany and Isaac were 'the mom and dad of the downstairs', helping take care of 8 of Pastor Andrew's kids.
Isaac opened a 'prayer room' on the compound, a much needed place of solitude in the midst of our busy compound.
We had 13 graduates from the Bible school that we helped start last year, many of whom were street boys from the year before.
Brittany started a 'church for kids' in a bad area near to us. Over 20 kids would come and receive love, play, andworship God twice a week.
We both grew so much in the love of God this year. Learning more of His heart for us and for those in need.

We are taking 3 months back in the US now to rest and reconnect. We hope we can see and reconnect with you all while we are here!

Thank you to all of you who have supported us in so many ways this year.

We love all of you and hope you have a Merry Christmas!

Love

Brittany and Isaac

Thoughts on missions

2009-10-25T16:31:00.000-07:00

A new missionary movement
Missions has been founded on some false prepositions and ideas.
Mainly how do we face conditions and ways of doing things in a helpful way.
We have seen the colonizing type of missionary making small western worlds in Africa. Putting Africans in subjection to white culture as the answer to development. Meaning development must look western to be development. Obviously from the outside this is very ethnocentric but unfortunately the attitude still exists I think mainly because of the great difference in development between the first and third worlds giving westerners an aura of superiority and at the same time giving those in a third world an inferiority complex.
The second type is the aid based type of missions.
A very biblical need driven way of spreading the gospel. This type of missions is done all over the world providing food and other necessities to millions who need it. Many however do not even preach the gospel or disciple which is to be our real goal. We show Jesus' love in practical ways and then open up ways for them to know Him more.
One of the problems with this type of missions is that it creates dependency. An aid dependent culture has developed in many third world countries and it is very destructive and unhelpful in the long run. Organizations like the WFP and the UN are looking at ways to build sustainable ways of helping third world nations and this is very good.
.
The kind of missions that I think is coming and that needs to come is not new. I heard about it first from the story of the Moravians who sold themselves into slavery to be missionaries the West Indies. To become a slave, a servant of all.
Most missions now is far from that, people are brought in to enforce western protocol and help 'advise' or oversee.
I believe that although this is good in the short term it has such a aura of colonial master, creates dependency, and also sets up something that isn't culturally sustainable.
Many of these nations are in fact very behind in development. Leadership styles have not evolved in understanding like in the west. Many nationals don't know how to handle money well or plan well. Lack of education and experience makes giving power to nationals seem foolish. The truth of the matter is that we are called to disciple nations, where they are at. We cannot make up for the fact that they have not learned something by doing it for them. We are to empower nationals to do what is in their heart for their nation, not force them to do what is in our heart for them. This takes patience and most importantly love.

If you are going to get married my job as the wedding planner isn't to tell you how your wedding should look, how big it should be, where it should be, how the ceremony should be carried out. That needs to come from the heart of the bride and groom. Or it will not feel like their wedding. Although as a wedding planner I have seen the most spectacular weddings in the most beautiful places with the most creative ceremonies. That experience is only good if you as the couple ask for my direction. If I force you to try and do something you don't want to I will either succeed and you will resent me or fail and and you will feel like I am judging the ideas that you want to institute in your wedding. Like I am judging your heart. This could make you feel untrusting of me and my heart towards you or else insecure about your own way of doing things and desires.
My job as a wedding planner is to ask the right questions and advise and help according to the desires of your heart. Its true that we in the west have for the most part, more experience, education, resources and opportunity. Those need to be used rightly. Our job like the wedding planner is to dig out the desires and vision of the hearts of the people and then to help them to flesh those things out. Their heart brought into reality in part by some who lay down their lives for them, to serve them.
This is a very good analogy of missions, its heart and its usual pitfalls. What if your wedding planner made you feel incompetent, came it and forced you to have the kind of wedding that he/she envisioned for you? The better kind of missions is being a wedding planner, empowering and preparing the bride of Christ for her Bridegroom!

From Brit

2009-10-10T05:54:00.000-07:00

Hi friends and family
We are coming home in two months and are very excited to
see all of you. Things here are going very well.
Pastor Andrew left yesterday for a trip to Mozambique.
He will be gone for 3 weeks and then a few days after he
gets back he will be heading to america for a month.
This is his first time going and he is planning on going
to California, Oklahoma, and Texas. We are all very
excited for him and for this opportunity. It is very
hard for a Sierra Leonan to get a Visa into the states
and even Pastor Andrew has tried 2 other times and was
denied. But this time he was able to get a 3 year Visa.
We all believe that this is going to be a very fruitful
and powerful trip both for Pastor Andrew but also for
the ministry. And Andrew will be able to experience his
first Thanksgiving which we have told him ALL about. (: It will be different not having Pastor Andrew around but
we really believe that God wants to use this time to
strengthen all of us and learn to trust Him in places
where we have trusted in man. We are planning on using
this time to practice and learn the different things God
has placed on all of our hearts to do. A lot of people
are learning to play instruments (guitar, keyboard, and
drums) others are pursuing evangelism, street preaching,
prison ministry, and even hip-hop dance. God has put so
much inside of each one of us and it has been so fun
seeing it start to come out. As for Isaac and I we are doing really well. I am
getting really excited about my work with the children.
It seems like everyday I wake up and I have more love
for the kids and more passion to see them come alive. I
have started two different children's programs and am
just trying to follow the Lord's leading in how to do
them. It has been so fun and challenging. In this
culture there is a lack of play with children. So, we
try to play and just have fun with the kids. We play
tag and duck duck goose and the kids LOVE it. The other
week we had a big game of duck duck goose and tons of
people from the whole community came out and were
watching. I really believe that we are brining light
into these different areas. I also feel like the Lord
is saying that He wants to use the kids even now. We
are teaching them to evangelize and pray for people. I
feel like it is just the beginning and I'm so excited to
see where this goes. Isaac has been recovering from this sickness and is
doing better everyday.
We love you all and can't wait to see you. Two months! Love Brit and Isaac
P.S. If you guys have any ideas, impressions, or just
love we love hearing from you!

Growing

2009-08-09T19:57:00.000-07:00

The day to day here in Freetown can be a bit slow. Ideas of success put against a slow rainy day here (Freetown is one of the wettest cities in the world) can put the a question in my heart of if we are accomplishing anything. The pace of life is slow. In the States there is Wal Mart and Home Depot for one stop shopping. Here to find a rat trap I have to walk the street till I see the guy selling them from the basket on his head. We spend a lot of time here just praying and playing with the kids and doing the stuff you do on rainy days.
Jesus said that the kingdom of God is like a farmer who plants seeds, somehow between planting and harvest time they grow and he harvests them. He cannot sit down and see them actually growing but they do slowly and surely. That is the miracle we are experienceing here, its different from my 'fastfood' mentality but Im learning to like it more. Things here have changed immensly in two years. And what has developed is so beautiful and solid, so of the Lord. I couldnt tell you though when it became what it did, it grew just like that farmer's seeds while I sat indoors on rainy days praying.

David’s key

2009-07-10T23:43:00.001-07:00

We go to a local clinic every week and pray for the sick there. Brittany and I don't always go but this last week I felt that I needed to. I came late as Brittany and I had something to attend to, when we arrived the team had already prayed for all the sick. I thought 'maybe God wanted me here just to spend time with the team.' And I was satisfied with that conclusion. But as we were about to leave one of the nurses protested us going without praying for them. God impressed on my heart that someone had an eye problem and a hand problem. One of the nurses was dealing with both of things, we prayed for her and her hand and eyes were restored. This woman had the keys to all the medicine in the hospital but she needed the keys only God could provide. Revelation 3 talks about Jesus having the Key of David and the doors He shuts no one can open the doors He opens no one can shut. With Jesus impossible things can open up!

Other

2009-07-03T15:52:00.001-07:00

Hunger is really bad. After a bit of time here I have started to believe that God cries over the hungry. When I see hungry people now I just feel the childlike desperation that hunger produces. Hunger brings anyone to a place of brokeness. I believe the fathers heart is to heal the broken hearted (Isaiah 61) And I believe that food is a big part of that. I think food looks a lot like love here. I think giving food to hungry people is really high on the priorities of God's heart and I pray that in my life it becomes a higher priority as well. There are ones, people around all of us everyday who are hungry in one way or the other. I pray for grace for us all that we can be the handsand feet of Jesus to love and feed those around us one by one.

Healing the ground

2009-07-02T15:56:00.001-07:00

Chris is an agriculture expert from California. God brought him to us, to this nation. Chris came last week with 2 suitcases full of seeds and plants, enough our 10 acres of land. We believe that Chris is an answer to the prayers of all those in Sierra Leone who have been seeking God for this nation. In Deuteronomy 28 the Bible speaks of the blessings of a nation who turns to God. Vs. 11 says, "The Lord will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground…"

Where hunger in normal, this scripture is good news. Our farming project has been going on for over a year now. One of the street boys named Junior who came to us last year is now the caretaker and as a turns out an expert in raising pigs. He has helped two pigs become 13 with another one pregnant. There are also 20 chickens and 5 goats. Junior calls the land the 'promised land'. It is a beautiful thing to see small amounts of restoration here. Only God knows how to heal this land and we look to him constantly, we are completely dependent on Him; our own plans and strength don't seem to work. Please be praying for the agriculture and farming project and also for the street boys. We believe that Junior is a first fruits of God using them to be the main conduit of blessing to this nation.

New Beginnings

2009-05-04T08:01:00.000-07:00

Our hearts are becoming more and more attached here. I think births do that. The kind of love that a father feels for his newborn, I cant wait to feel it. Andrew described holding his new daughter Heidi Andrea Sesay, born April 26, 2009. "There is nothing she could ever do that would make me not love her completely, she is perfect"

God created us to share in His emotions to know His heart. We are always learning.

Brittany has now been named the 'mom of the downstairs'. Andrew and Angella have moved upstairs into thier new room, away from all the noise and commotion of thier previous room which was situated next to the outdoor cooking and bathroom facilities. Thier new room is located in the recently finished second floor. Its a real 'home', a place where they can rest.

Baby Hiedi was born on Emmanuel's birthday. Happy #2 Emmanuel! Angella and Andrew wanted a girl so bad and they got one! Andrew came home after a long night of seeing his wife through the birth and we gave Emmanuel a bunch of cake, he LIKES cake.

It can be hard to communicate what is going on here. There are so many aspects to what we are a part of here. The part I appreciate today is the bond that God has given us with our family here in Sierra Leone.

Happy Easter

2009-04-11T08:05:00.000-07:00

Hello friends and family! I hope you are all doing well. I (Brittany) wanted to share a little bit of what has been going on in Sierra Leone.

Isaac and I just came back from a weekend at one of our churches in a village outside of Freetown. As we traveled I found a new love inside me. It was supernatural love, love that God has been working into my heart since I’ve been here. When I would look out the window at the people I just wanted to love them and bless them. We stopped at one little place on the way and I had so much love in my heart. As I was talking to one of the kids he kept pointing to his brother. I went over to his brother and saw that his arm had been broken but had healed wrong. He couldn’t move it and it was crooked. I asked him if he wanted prayer and he said yes. I called Isaac over and we began to pray for him. By the time we were finished he could bend his arm and move it up and down. He could even move his fingers which he couldn’t do before we prayed. It was such an amazing experience for this little boy but it also did something HUGE in my own heart. I felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be and I was in the middle of the calling that the Lord has for me. I saw so clearly that God knows what He is doing with me and that all that I have experienced and gone through since I’ve been here has all been preparation. It’s like in so many different areas I feel like my life has been in waiting. I see the lack of love in my heart or my inability to reach these people. But I have just been holding on to the promise that God has called us here. I’ve been keeping my eyes on Jesus believing and hoping that something beautiful is going to come of it. While we were on this trip I feel like so much came together for me. I was able to see what some of what God has been doing in me. Love is being established in my heart. Not my own love but love that comes straight from the Father. Seeing this and experiencing God’s love flowing through me has made everything worth it. It has made the struggle, the sacrifice, and hardship of being in Africa worth it. I would pay the price again and again. Having this new vision, I am excited to press on. I am excited about where I am going and what the Father is doing within me. And I am excited to be following Jesus wherever He might send me.

This is one of the most powerful, pivotal experiences that I have had since I have been here. So many things have come together for me in my heart and I wanted to share it with you all.

We love you all so much and are so grateful for your love and support. Thank you!

Love Brittany and Isaac

Happy Easter!!

Restoring Africa

2009-03-10T11:59:00.000-07:00

Today is a busy day, Andrew is working excitedly on his new desk. Its an African creation that is unlike anything Ive ever seen, so beautiful. Brittany has been washing our clothes and I have been tying up loose administrative ends. This is our first day back in the old routine after two weeks of hosting 10 guests from Bill Johnson's church in CA, Visiting the President, the parliament, building relationships with some of the most influential people in Sierra Leone, and seeing a multitude of miracles mostly physical but some circumstantial. At the beginning of the year we really were feeling like God was going to do a lot. Andrew was saying 'we will do less and see more' encouraging us to just focus on God. So far we are far from disappointed. Here are some things that have happened.1. Miracles -- We went to the hospital with the team from California. One man due for spine surgery was later released as he no longer needed it. One young man, Unisa, who had fallen from a tree and had been paralyzed from the waist down for three years is now moving his legs, they are growing in strength and he now wants to be a pastor to his village in eastern S. Leone! We saw a multitude of other healings, bad vision perfected, arms and legs strengthened and lengthened, back pain removed, malaria healed. I learned a lot from the team from California to expect that God is good and He wants to heal all the time! Its a blessing here where people often don't have any other way to help themselves. 2. Pastor Andrew and the team from CA visited with the president and His wife. They were able to pray with them and be a real encouragement in the midst of a hard time. 3. We went to a session of Parliament and afterward met with and prayed with the speaker of the house and the other party leaders. 4. The team from CA had contacts with some of the more influential families in Sierra Leone. They are wonderful, Godly people and from that the ministry has gained access to three plots of land, one of which pastor Andrew's wife has been praying for for over 3 years.5.We started two new churches, Andrew now meets in town and holds a service every Sunday on the street. While doing business a businessman gave us a property to use across the street from a club where teenage prostitution is rampid. We have also begun to meet there. 6. The business Ive embarked on is going well. I am trying to raise funds through it for both the work in the provinces and also to raise money to send a container here. So far we have profited over 2000 dollars for the work. Watching Andrew make his new desk there is a sense of what we are here for. We want to help Africans rebuild Africa out of their African hearts. What would Africa look like without war, poverty, and corruption? For this reason God has allowed us to influence with His love and power this country from the President, to a crippled boy from a small village. All is related to helping give Africa their heritage, their glory. Isaiah 49, Rev 21:26 We are honored to be a part of this work. It is worth our lives, to give Him glory. There are so many other things big and small that God has done. We have seen a lot of people give their lives to Jesus, we have grown closer as a team, and God has grown us all individually so much. This is just my perspective, Brittany will have to give her own account soon too!We love you all so much, thank you for your prayers and supportLove Isaac and Brittany

Business as usual

2009-02-04T12:04:00.000-08:00

The airwaves in Sierra Leone on will be filled on Tuesday Nights with the sound Pastor Andrew's worship! People in Africa, (take our word for it) listen to the radio all night, and LOUD. Its just a thing here I dont know why.
But that will be a good thing as Pastor Andrew begins to broadcast his program on Tuesday nights. I have never met a musician like Pastor Andrew, He claims that the Holy Spirit taught him how to not only play the guitar but also how to make his first one (ive seen the pictures, its huge)!
When he told us his vision to broadcast I knew that it was from the Lord. We have been praying for a way to do it as it costs about 630 dollars for 3 months of airtime/1day per week.
Well we found a way. Ive begun to do some small buisness here selling those little memory sticks and a few other things. In one month the profit was 600 dollars.
I came home from a long day in town and handed Andrew the money. I was so happy that my work had produced enough to open up this door! Andrew was really happy too it was a really special moment.
One man who I met in town is going to give us property to use to open two new churches. (Property is very expensive in Freetown) Everywhere I go when Im doing buisness I keep meeting people that I know God has wanted me to meet. I get to share the gospel often and I really like it.
Brittany too is doing really well, expect to hear her side of the story soon.
There is so much else going on but I wanted to let you all know about this new development.
Be praying for wisdom and direction.
Love you all
Isaac

Halleluah

2009-01-22T09:02:00.000-08:00

I want to write and just say how wonderful it is to be here and to see the hand of our Creator taking care of us at every step. God has really connected us in a special new way with Pastor Andrew and his wife Angella. We are really 'embracing' each other and this year I know that so much good will come out of that.
Emmanuel is doing really well, He calls Brittany 'ninny' and tells me to 'sit down' while pointing at a chair. The other kids too are doing well, they missed us and us them.
The streetguys 'God's favorites' are also doing well. Although two of them left us (one stole a few things then, a few days later in a town 20 miles away, Pastor Andrew just 'happened' to see him and forgive him and tell him that we love and believe in him)
Three of our pastors began to go out to the provinces. The purpose, to encourage the pastors there, set up future training, and start a program to give them seed to do farming.
In one village a group of pastors met. One stopped our pastors with a shocked look in his eyes "what did you say your name was?" Five years before, in a dream, the Lord had told this old pastor that 'Iris ministries' was going to come and they would bring with them blessing for the whole nation. Five years ago Iris ministries was not in Sierra Leone or even Western Africa, and this old pastor never could have accessed the internet or heard of Iris before that. He left and came back with an old notebook with the dream written in it and showed our pastors.
Its encouraging to know that God has us on the right path.
We will begin in two weeks to send a team to bring our Bible school to help train and support these pastors. One called the next week and said "I was about to give up being a pastor and move, but since you came I know that I will stay and do the work of God"
I am beginning to do a little bit of buisness, selling small computer memory. Pray that through this and other means we will be able to finance this work without the help of people internationally.
We love you all and miss you all. We had such a wonderful two months in the States. It was a blessing and everyone here says that my 'belly big' ha ha
Love
Isaac

Merry Christmas from Brittany and Isaac

2008-12-20T20:41:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from Isaac and Brittany

We want to thank all for loving and supporting us this year.

We love and appreciate you all so much and we want to ask you all to stay in contact with us in this next year!

We love you all so much!
Merry Christmas

Isaac and Brittany Oltersdorf

Christmas for the Hudrish's

2008-12-20T20:28:00.001-08:00

Brittany and I want to offer all of you a special opportunity to give this Christmas.

Paul and Margret and thier children Augusta and Isaac (named after Me!!) are pictured to the left.
Paul is blind, he and his family have become close friends of ours and we want to ask if anyone would be interested in helping to support this family for Christmas.

Our plan is to help Margret start a small buisness and from there help to provide for the needs of the children and also for Paul to continue his education.

If you want to help them please let us know!
Merry Christmas
Isaac and Brittany

The heart of Jesus

2008-10-20T10:29:00.000-07:00

I want to write to you all about what I have learned recently about compassion and its power. I know that some of you who read our blog posts dont necessarily believe in devine healing. I am going to talk about it but with an emphasis I think a little closer to what it should be. Recently one of our church members Baba gave me a letter. He gave me permission to share from it.
In the letter he thanked me and God for what was happening in His life. I was so blessed because every other 'letter' I have received here has been a request for money. His was not, in it he related to me that since the time he was a young boy 3-4 he has never walked on his own and has never felt like a man. Since the previous sunday when we prayed for Him he has begun to walk. His right knee which he had never been able to move began to move and the muscles in his feet also. He said 'pastor I can kick now and the other night I stood for a long time with no assistance'. I am changed through this testimony. I must confess that in the past divine healing has been something that really excited me but until this testimony, it was something that never touched my heart this deep, I never experienced the compassion of God. I saw in Baba the restoration of not just his legs but his dreams. He talks now, as his legs get progressivly stronger, about playing football on the beach with us. He now dresses to impress, and carries himself with an aura of confidence. He can now walk quickly without any crutches when before he needed two. He is happy. He knows that he is loved, by us, but more profoundly by his Creator.
There is another story I want to share with a similar heart. We have been housing 8 guys from off the street who are now attending Bible college. One of them, Ali, has the biggest heart of them all. He also has the biggest temper. Pastor Andrew and I realized that this temper was not getting better no matter what we did. We told him, after a morning fight, that we wanted to have a special meeting with him that night. We sat him down and Andrew began to pray and talk to Ali. He asked Ali what was going on inside of him. In the middle of Ali's explaination Andrew interrupted Him, with a kind of insight that only could have come from God, and a kind of heart that could only come from a father. Andrew spoke truth to Ali about the forgivness of God and the love we have for him of the truth that its not Ali's fault. His part in the war as a child soldier, the people he killed and thing things he did, were him being taken advantage of by wicked people. Ali just cried and recieved the love. I sat in awe. It felt like family. Ali felt it. I felt it, and Andrew definitly did as well. I wanted to cry all night as I thought about what happend. This guy who has never known a stable home, who is an outcast from his own family and village, was finnaly recieveing the love of the Father in heaven and a father on earth in Andrew. I felt the heart of God for these guys, the fatherless, the ostricised. God sees them. He feels for them so deeply. Im beginning to too.
Both of these stories together are trying to teach me something. I say this becaus the Bible says it. It calls testimonies 'our teachers'. I am learning that God values a kind of living that only He makes possible. Its a kind of living that has hope for the world around us beyond the help of the world around us or the abilities within us. It is the 'audacity of hope' that having faith in the one who died for our sins and by whose 'stripes we are healed' produces. I am challenged to believe again. I am challenged to turn my head towards and not away from the one in need. I am challenged to believe that when I choose to love that my weakness is met not only with Gods strength but also His compassion. A kind of compassion that I am learning melts my heart completely. I am learning that in a world that says I need to be more (stronger, wiser, richer, better planned) that I can be less. That I can be weak, that I dont have to be better than anyone else, or prove myself to myself or to the world around me. I want to learn instead that there is hope for the hopeless, and to be a part of delievering that same hope. There are better things going on. Baba's and Ali's that God wants to bless me to know and wants to touch with His love. I like that and I pray we will all learn more together.
Love you
Isaac

1 year in S. Leone

2008-10-08T08:25:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

It has been just over a year since Brittany and I arrived in Sierra Leone. We have seen so much happen and I am writing to tell you thanks. In the midst of a country filled with poverty and oppressive conditions. I look at all of my friends and family, their support and encouragement and I am so grateful. It has been you that have inspired us, challenged us, supported us, prayed for us. It has been you most of all that have believed.

Since coming we have seen so much happen. I can only attribute it to the grace and favor of God. When we came we were met with an unfinished one story brick building with only our room and bathroom complete. Pastor Andrew and his family living in a 'pan body' house attached to the side. We had no running water but to walk 100 yards to a tap. We had no electricity except for a generator that we only used a couple nights a week. We slept on a thin mattress on the ground and lived on minimial finances. The one church, also attached to the house, was made of wood and tarpoline (still is :). For a few months we were the sole financial supporters of the ministry.
In one year...

> We took in 5 kids who lost thier mother and father.
> -we took one into our room :)
> 5 more churches have been planted in the surrounding communities
> -two tailored specifically to street boys and prostitutes
> A ministry from the US called No Boundaries International began to partner with us brining much needed financial support and added vision/manpower.
> -they spearheaded all the work with the streetboys and provided the Bible college
> We began two outreaches to groups of streetboys in different parts of Freetown with a time of feeding and a small church service (football too:)
> Another Pastor has recently decided to visit us with his son.
> -his heart is for streetboys and his son is a sound studio owner
> -those two things are the main focuses of Pastor Andrew and I. (I love how God brings people together)
> A man with a vision for agriculture has begun to take trips to set up a program here providing jobs and income and opportunities.
> Our discipleship team went from 2 to 10 with 20 more Bible college students.
> The house is now two full levels with an small third level for a music studio.
> -the first floor is completely finished, the second about half.
> We have power from the government about 30% of the time!
> We have running water about 40% of the time in the house!
> Brit and I have a nice canopy bed made by a church member!
> We have seen multiple incredible healings and changed lives.
> We live with 8 guys from off the street who are attending our Bible college and training in business, welding, and tailoring.
> A property was given to us in a village where we have a Secondary school 90% finished, farming, a church and missionary house planned.
> We just finished, successfully, the first semester of the Bible college.
> We feed about 30 people per day.
> Brittany and I taught and prepped the kids for school until July. teaching everything from the abc's to astronomy.
> The kids have started school and are doing well.
> We have pending agriculture projects and outreaches into the provinces following the Bible college.
> We have started 4 small Businesses via micro loans to church members.
> We have all night prayer 7 days a week (I know that sounds crazy to most people but its awesome) from 12am to 4am
> -4 teams take 2 nights a week each.
> All of the above has not been one persons vision or work, it has been a divine mixture of talent, coincidence, vision, and effort. That have come together in such beautiful way involving such beautiful people
> -and that's why I'm thanking all of you!
> We are so privileged to be here.
Thank you for the support

> God is so good> Love you all> Isaac

The impossible

2008-08-12T10:23:00.000-07:00

In Sierra Leone there is a huge number of men in thier late teens to thier late 20's that live in the street. Many of them were child soldiers, many others were displaced to freetown during the war never having fought themselves. Almost all have witnessed and taken part in unimaginable things. These guys are the marginalized , the outcasts (along with the disabled), in sierra leone. They are the cause of most of the trouble and conversly they are the future of the nation since they are a large portion of the men of a generation. We believe God has given us a call to minister to these guys His love and acceptance. After 6-9 months (depending on the area) of doing outreaches and prayer meetings with these guys we now have about 14 enrolled in Bible college and we are also starting tayloring and other trade training alongside it. We are housing 8 of them (a total joy). The Bible school has around 30 students total and we meet now three days a week. Its a DVD curriculum from the states that gives time for translation. We have seen these guys really catch hold of a greater vision for thier lives. They are excited and empowered. The word of God is the most empowering thing in the world. Read Ephesians 1:1-9 for an example. These guys are worth something to God, he loves them and can redeem thier lives of violence and drug addiction and their past of trauma and hardship. We are so excited for what God is doing so be praying for Ali, Ibriham, Bangali, Abriham, Jawad, Elton, Humphrey, Francis, Abu, Abu, Raymond, Fofonna, Junior, and Foday. I hope to be able to share with you all more about these guys It has been such a pleasure growing to love them and help them to be all that God created them to be. We are doing the impossible. I spoke with one ex government official who used to work with the youth. He said that they wont listen to anyone but maybe they will listen to God. They are and His love is doing the impossible.

Pictures (June)

2008-06-23T07:25:00.001-07:00

In order (David, the team, Brit and Isaac's anniversary, Johnny preaching, Mr Manna, Samuel Isaac and Sylvester, the house.

Nice story

2008-06-23T07:25:00.000-07:00

Tonight the street boys gathered under their temporary housing. Its about a 30 by 5 yard strip with a ten foot wall on one side and a 7 foot side that is open except for beams and a small wall. Each Wed evening we all get together and have a small church service and then provide food. 40-50 came this Wed and we gathered around sang praise and worship and then sat. I began to preach on a scripture that says that God looks throughout the earth to see if any are seeking him. The Bible says in Hebrews that we must believe that God is and seek Him and he will reward us. We all sat seeking God. All of the sudden the police came in three large trucks, there were maybe 50 of them. Some had guns, riot gear, gas masks. These guys were ready for action. Since this is the street boys’ area they come frequently and make wholesale arrests. They came and tore down a 'bar' about 200 yards away and some passed by us. The streetboys didn’t know what to do they wanted to run but knew if they did they would be arrested. I thought "this is either really good that we are all here together or really bad". The police just passed guns gasmasks and everything. You could see them pointing and talking about us from a distance. Since they knew we were a 'church' service though they didn’t say anything except one police officers comment of 'hallelujah' as she passed. Other people were arrested and taken away. Temporary structures for businesses were broken. We prayed. I told them about Psalm 91 that even if 10000 pass on my right the Lord will save me. I told them to trust Him, to begin to seek Him. He is waiting like the father of the prodigal son for his children to return to Him. If he sees one seeking Him he runs to them! We prayed and all the guys asked God to change their lives to come and help them and to provide for them. Afterwards as we all ate they rejoiced. The police left, none of them were arrested, we asked them and they said that if we had not been doing church when they came they would have arrested everyone. Instead they came and sought God and he rewarded them, His sons. I felt like an intercessor. The Bible says that Jesus was the great intercessor. An intercessor is someone who stands and speaks for someone, usually asking for mercy or help, but giving themselves for the life of another. Jesus gave his life for all of mankind and we are called to do the same. I was so glad that we have been led to love these guys. Since we are 'interceding' for them, they are finding acceptance, honor, love, hope, dignity, and protection. They know that there is a God who loves them, laid down His life for them, and He is turning their hearts toward Him little by little. They all exclaimed with laughter and childlike awe and excitement that God had saved them! We started singing "It is a great day to serve the Lord, It is a great day to serve the Lord, Walking in the light of God," They all joined and we danced with gratitude and love.

1 Year!!!!!!!

2008-06-06T06:54:00.000-07:00

Brittany and I have been married for one year on the 7th!!!!
We are so grateful for all God has done.
We love all of you and thank you for all your support!!!!
I Jesus name
Isaac and Brittany

The Plight of the Street Boys

2008-05-19T04:34:00.000-07:00

Street boys here are kind of like migrant workers in the States. They often broke the law to get where they are (totally different comparing delinquency to illegal immigration I know but bear with me) They are looked on as less than people by the majority of the population, as 'undesireables'. They serve in the country as cheap labor (washing cars to carrying boards on thier heads.) They live in temporary housing and are often hasseled by authorities. Here they are put temporarily in jails, prisions over and over again for petty offences. If a serious crime has happened in the area. The police will often arrest as many as they can as a response. Some are there by choice but many are orphans or just stuck without any way to get out of the cycle they are in. Some of the biggest problems they face are drug addiction, prostitution, homelessness, and sickness. Saturday night one of them stole a lady's purse and so the police came and tore down four of thier buisnesses (small shops) and many of thier shelters. Sierra Leone doesnt know what to do with them. They are the cause of many of the problems. But the current response of the government isnt helping too much and in a lot of cases is making the situation worse. We some of them and hold a small church service once a week, but that is nothing. I know from my experience that in the case of addiction spiritual help is the most effective. We want to focus on that but if we dont help meet thier physical needs we are missing the boat. Our plan now is to start a 'rescue house' where 5-6 of the guys will come who are serious about wanting to leave the streets. We will provide them with basics as well as a curfew and pretty strict expectations. Brittany has had a lot of imput about this as she is a Social worker and did her internship at a homeless shelter. We are working closely with a Sierra Leonean name Sylvester who is fresh out of college as a social worker. He works with these guys tirelessly. They call him the 'father of the street boys'. He will be the one living with them and doing most of the programming. We will offer them counseling, opportunities to learn a trade, and a Bible school because we beleive that some are 'called' as pastors.
Please help, We visited 60 of them in the jails yesterday. Brought them food and water. The other ones we visited dont have any place to stay. We cant help all of them now. The fact is that this really is a crisis right now in Sierra Leone. It is one though that God has a plan for. He will raise these guys up as the farmers, pastors, and leaders in Sierra Leone. We want to start the house within next month. Pray, give, see with His eyes. These guys are children of God, he sees thier fear and sadness as they go to bed. I really feel, however,that this crisis is actually a huge opportunity for God to do some great things here. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Rom 8:28

CPR???

2008-05-19T04:32:00.001-07:00

*REPEAT OF EMAIL* Friday night we saw the promise of Jesus to heal the sick and raise the dead with our own eyes. Samuel who when I first met him said, to my face, that he hated white people and was adimently opposed to the church we started in his 'house' (he stays in the unfinished building that we meet in). Since then we have seen the Lord reconcile him and his brother, him and I, and him and the Lord. I came to the place where we hold service (his house) Friday night to find him sick with malaria. He had been sick since Sunday he had taken tons of medication and nothing was helping. He told Mr Manna that morning that he thought he was going to die. (I learned afterwards) When I got there I didnt realize how serious the situation was. I prayed for him for a few minutes and he decided that he would get up and come and lie down on a mat during the prayer meeting. We prayed and at the end I decided to pray for everyone. As I went around the room I got to where he was lying down. Manna was sitting next to him and called me. I looked down and Samuel was fighting and kicking in agony. I knelt on the ground and began to pray with manna for him. We prayed for about 20 minutes. At times his pulse and breathing were so low that I was really afraid. Its not like America here there are no quick/emergency response systems in place,no 911 to dial. He began to breath normally again though and so I got up and closed the prayer meeting. After talking with some of the people there I turned back to where he was lying to check on him. Manna was talking with him and so I asked what happened. Manna turned back to ask him and I heard 'Samuel...Samuel...SAMUEL...SAMUEL!!!...PASTOR COME HERE!' I thought he had died as he was totally unresponsive, foam at the mouth, no breath, eyes rolled back. He felt cold. I thought 'should I do CPR?' I dont really know it though, I was afraid. I realized that I believe in prayer more than CPR and I began to pray. A boldness inside me rose up. The Lord had spoken to me previously that he wants to use Samuel in a big way. How could that happen if he died? I KNEW it was not the Lords will for him to die. So I prayed. I prayed loud and with fervency. Samuel began to move a little, but still he didnt seem to be breathing (I think he must have been, just shallow breaths) In my spirit I heard the Lord say, 'Tell him not to be afraid, tell him I have saved his life today.' As I said 'Samuel Jesus has saved your life today' He let out one big cough and began to breath loudly. I prayed against the spirit of death and then the Lord started speaking to me about Samuel. 'Your going to be a prophet to the nations...' the electricity (fire) in the room was really intense. Brittany said that it filled the whole room. Then from out of my spirit came the words. 'Samuel get up, In the name of Jesus, get up!' The very moment I spoke he rose and the power of God just enveloped us. As he stood up I gave him a hug. He asked immediatly for water. He gave his life to the Lord and laid down to sleep. The next day I saw him. The light in his eyes was amazing. He said 'God did a wonderful thing last night' I looked at him amazed myself as he stood before me in full health. 'Yea He did Samuel, and He is going to use you in a big way.'I can still feel the chills when I tell the story. I dont know if Samuel had actually died when the Lord healed him, but I know that we serve a God who conquered death on the Cross, we just saw it happen before my eyes!

Learning to love

2008-03-27T06:52:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone, sorry it has been a while since the last post. Brittany and I are doing well, little Emmanuel is really thriving and we love him so much. We are teaching the kids and, as of today, one adult. Tomorrow I am going to share my testimony with 30 or 40 guys at a place called 'the city of rest' it is in downtown Freetown and it is a place for drug addicts and people with serious mental problems. It is a really amazing ministry and was started by one of the oldest living pastors in Sierra Leone, he still runs up the stairs though! I am going to share my story as the Lord helped me out of drug addiction.
I wanted to share a bit of our hearts, share a bit about what God is doing. Being here is difficult as you all can imagine. It is difficult for obvious reasons, mainly its not the United States! :) So we have really had to reexamine our reasons for being here. Heidi Baker, the director of Iris ministries, talks a lot about this subject. She flat out tells mission school students 'If your not in love, don't come! (to missions)'
She says this because the only motivation that sustains, the only motivation that leads to real change is love. Love first for Jesus, and then for those who He loves. (two things that become almost interchangable)
Its really easy to hope in other things though. We all know this especially as Americans. A million things are vying for our attention, and our affections. Pride, money, success, fear, entertainment, sports, etc... But what is it that really keeps us going? What wakes us up in the morning and gives us hope.
The options here are limited, food... going to the restaurant a couple times a week...taking the kids to the beach now and then... ugghhhh. You sort of run out after a little while. But love works, it doesn't just work. Love makes us thrive, and not just any love but the very love of God flowing through you.
We are learning it, little by little, interaction by interaction, situation by situation. Learning to 'Love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and strength...and love our neighbor as our self'
I'm so used to having love just be PART of what keeps me going. Its a whole different thing to have it be ALL. It really means giving of ourselves. Thats what Christs death and ressurection shows us. (To love costs something, or its not really love)
Loving here doesnt come naturally. There is soo much to learn about the culture and everthing has to been done in that context. For example, they play checkers here totally different and at first I just thought the guy I was playing with was stupid and didnt know the rules. Even after I learned that he was playing the way everyone plays here, I wanted to correct him. I stopped myself, realizing my pride, and played the way they do. Its kind of like that dealing with the culture as a whole. We are learning that we need to drop our ideas of how thing are done, the way interactions happen and what they mean etc.. and humble ourselves. We need to be vulnurable and let those around us instruct us. Instead of the natural thing to do which is to stay aloof. In the end when we bond this way, it looks like love.
We are doing so many things here (I haven't shared much of it). But this is what is really the important thing. I Cor 13 " If I sell all I have and give it to the poor...if I give my body to be burned... but I have not love, it is nothing" Getting stuff done isnt the point. Love is, and we are learning.
So like Paul said, "not that I have achieved it yet... but I press on toward the goal to obtain the prize of the upward call of Christ Jesus"
We love you!
Isaac

Emmanuel "God with us"

2008-03-07T05:53:00.000-08:00

One day Brittany and I were talking and we realized that God was putting the same thing on both of our hearts. Emmanuel, the 8-9 month old of the group of five orphans that have been living with us since November had been weighing on both of our hearts/minds. Brittany started talking about it with me. We realized that for the most part his brothers and sister were taking care of him. They fed him, changed him, slept with him. Often during the day Emmanuel would just sit quietly not demanding any attention and would go almost unnoticed. Andrew and Angella are busy with David, one of the the most active 8month olds I have ever seen, and so it made sense to Brittany and I that we should take Emmanuel into our room. It was a little over our heads at first. I have never even changed a diaper, and Brittany didnt know much either. Over the last week though we have fallen in love with this little guy. (Sometimes we want to wake him up just to play with him) He is really coming alive too. Now he laughs and jerks his body around and smacks his lips like an old man. Last night when we put him to bed (a little mat next to our blowup mattress) He just 'preached' for about a half an hour, saying bah, bah, bah. Its really amazing to get to love him during these early years when he may never remember. But they are years that probably will have a big impact on him in the future. Brittany and I are so blessed to have 'God with us' (the meaning of Emmanuel) Thank you for your prayers and support.

Mr Manna and Gods provision

2008-02-13T04:31:00.000-08:00

I went today with a man named Manna down to his compound. We had gone there last week and suprisingly a church service started with all the men and youth who were there smoking pot, about 30 of them. This week I learned just how much the Lord was involved in our visit. After we left the police came to arrest all the pot smokers. They would each go to prison until they paid about 500 dollars a peice. (almost a years wages for a lot of people) Just as the police were rounding them up though the area governer came by and told the police to let them go. He said that they were 'his guys' as I guess he lives just next door. My jaw dropped as I listened to this story and realized the picture the Lord had painted for them of His grace and forgiveness in the face of the unpayable debt of our sin. The Lord says to us 'these are my guys, I paid for them with my blood', our debt is forgiven and we are free. Today all that were there recieved the Lord and wanted prayer for change. I learned of other testimonies of salvation too (Biblically the word salvation is synonymous with healing) One man who we prayed for had a foot that was so swollen he couldnt walk. Just after we had our 'little service' last week someone confessed having put a curse on him and subsequently paid for thier hospital bills (the light shone in the darkness) Another man who wanted prayer for his father, who had been put in prison, to be let out found out that night that he was indeed released. His brother who was angry with him forgave him and 3 days later he got a job. He was also having pain in his heart and it is now gone. God answered every prayer! Another man who was a football player was having sharp pain in his leg. This week the pain is gone. There were a bunch of sick children last week, now all of them are well. I still felt so much of the presence of the enemy in that place but it is obvious that the Lord is moving in so many ways. Its amazing how he used one friendship with this man Manna to change so many lives. Hiedi Baker, Iris ministries co-director, has a motto about stopping for the one. When we do, God does powerful things. Then as I took Manna back to where he begs (he has no legs below his knees) A guy called me from accross the street. He is one of the youth in our area who doesnt work and just sits in this spot with about 40-50 others and do nothing all day. He used to bug me to come to america. Today God used him to open the door for me to talk to all of them. I have had these guys on my heart and its like He just opened the door. I think we will start a new church down there and I pray that these guys (the pot smokers, and youth) are the congregation. God is wanting to do something great. Matt 5 says blessed are the poor in spirit. These are the poor in spirit and God is going to poor out His love and blessings on them. Manna said that he has so many more places he wants to take me, another friend wants to take me to the drug center of the city too, doors, doors, doors. When God opens them we will walk, He is our guard, our hope, our reason. He is our love.
We love you guys
Isaac and Brit

Jacob earned a broken hip

2008-02-11T07:32:00.000-08:00

Yesterday as we left church we stopped by a members house. His name is Mr. Mohommed or Russel, whichever you prefer. We learned that two nights before he had been beaten mercilessly by neighborhood boys for no reason. (this is a pretty strange thing to happen here Pastor Andrew told us). Russell and his family have been having a hard time recently as he has been out of a job. (actually we saw him early friday night, before he was beaten, and he was distressed because all he could do was catch fish and he didnt have any oil to fry them in) So we sat with him, his head was all bruised and his left forearm swollen from a break, he could not move it without the help of his other arm. We told him that we wanted to pray with him and give him a little money to help out. As I prayed for his arm we both heard and felt a 'crack' and afterward he was able to move it freely to the astonishment of himself, his wife and everyone sitting there. I felt so greatful for the compassion and love of Jesus to do such a thing. God is always wanting to pour out his mercy and love. Are we willing to recieve the blessing, to seek him for it? Jacob in the bible wrestled with God and would not let go until he recieved a blessing. He did and he also recieved a broken hip. As Brittany and I have been seeking the Lord for more of him we have come face to face with the same reality as Jacob. If we are seeking the blessing of God He will take our reliance on our own strength from us. God is too good to let us succeed on our own strength. We need Him and He is kind enough to allow us to come to a place where we know that our own strength is not enough (and in fact often is in the way). We can then enter into a place of relationship in trusting and relying upon His. His mercy, his love, his provision. How can a cup be filled if it is not emptied first?
Let us all empty ourselves in humilty and honesty before Him and, as the Bible says, "if we humble ourselves He will lift us up".
Thank you all, we love you
Isaac and Brit

Back in Sierra Leone

2008-01-24T04:30:00.000-08:00

We arrived back in Sierra Leone after a reativly smooth trip. We had to take the helicopter into freetown which Brit found a bit unnerving. It has been really busy since then. Brittany and I are teaching the kids during the day. She teaches the two older ones in the morning and I teach the younger ones in the afternoon. We do PE and sing songs and pray first thing together. The Holy Spirit has been falling on the kids as we have prayed the last couple of days. Both of the older boys have had visions of Jesus showing them where their mother lives in heaven. I love the way the Lord is. He provides for them the things that we never could. The older one also had a vision of all of us swimming in the cleanest coolest water and having fun. This is a real picture of the Holy Spirit coming in power and we are excited about that. Yesterday I went with my friend Manna and Jerry to Manna's old village. We visited a friend of his who's left leg and arm have died. The man actually took care of Manna (who lost both of his legs below the knees) while he was recovering. Manna now walks with a cane and prostetic legs. We prayed and I gave the family a little money. Pray that the condition of this man reverses. Next Manna took us to a hospital where there were leprosy and teberculosis patients. He stayed there for a while so he knows everyone. We walked around and prayed for the patients. There are so many though that we are going to go back next week. We need provision to be able to bless them with some juice or bread as all they eat is something that is like rice but not as nutritious. (I dont remember the name) Anyway it is a real great opportunity to minister to those most in need and I am so greatful to God for it! We are pastoring one church and we love the people, tonight we will visit the community that the church is in and go see everyone and pray for them if they have any needs. Last night at our Bible study we didnt get around to studying the bible because the Holy Spirit really started touching people, filling them with hope and a desire for Him.
Thank you all for your prayers and support. I need to go now as I am at the iternet cafe.
We love you
Isaac and Brit

Fund raising dinner

2007-12-10T23:08:00.000-08:00

Thursday December 20th All of you are invited to chilly Denver CO. for a fundraiser raising money for the work in Sierra Leone.
Together we can find ways to accomplish incredible things in Sierra Leone. You all here at home are the biggest pieces of the puzzle for what is going on. Take time and consider coming and being a part in a bigger way.
There is going to be another email sent out with specific directions etc... We love you guys and hope to see you there!
Love Brit and Isaac

Back in the USA!

2007-12-02T20:09:00.000-08:00

Update on the orphans

2007-11-17T07:05:00.000-08:00

Hello all
We have sent for the orphans finally. I will take a couple of days. One family member went to get them. They were living on the far side of Sierra Leone. We have used the money in part already to buy mattresses and lots of extra rice and a lot of other little things in preparation. We will have only about a week with them before we come home to visit.
Pray that we will be prepared, and that pastor Andrew and his wife will have a lot of grace for all that is needed.

The tension of love

2007-11-17T07:00:00.000-08:00

Hello everyoneThis is Isaac I just wanted to write and share my heart a little about how Brit and I are doing. Being a missionary is really interesting. We are having to learn so much. There are so many problems all around you at any given moment, for us to choose what we will invest our energy and love into is something that is being worked out. If we were to answer every cry for help we would be led around and around and burn out. And yet one thing that we believe is to 'stop for the one' which means to try to the best of our ability to be like Jesus to them. So it is a challenge to find the balance. Pastor Andrew too tries to do too much sometimes because of all the needs and when you do that you are left with incomplete efforts and incomplete results. We have, however, seen some of these 'ones' really changed since we have been here. One youth well call 'Bill' recently quit smoking marijuana and started interpreting for Brit and I in church. He has now obtained a well paying tech job and so now he can support his son. I love seeing the grace of God do that kind of thing. There are many many other really encouraging stories. We live in a tension everyday. If you take on all the problems its too much and you just grow cold. If you dont do anything than you are missing the point alltogether. So we are learning. The answer of course is to become more like Jesus. No problems overwhelm Him, all was paid for on the cross. So we need to grow in 'the knowledge of Him' as Paul the apostle talks about. The Holy Spirit is really helping us. We are growing in compassion and love as we go out and interact with people. It is amazing what having the love of God in your heart can do. Yesterday I saw a man we pass by everyday, Mr. Bolo. Before reaching him love just rose in my heart so instead of the normal greeting I was really happy to see him. He in turn told me about his strained back. Because of the love in my heart it was easy to believe God to heal him and sure enough He did! Continue to pray for us as we have so much more growing to do. We love you all. Isaac and Brit

Jesus moves on some people

2007-10-06T08:52:00.000-07:00

Today Pastor Andrew and I went to the hospital to visit his aunt. She had gone in the middle of the night because of severe dehydration. Pastor explained that many people die from this kind of sickness. We went and prayed and after a few miniutes we could all feel the power of God enter the situation. The woman actually began to shake and then she began to praise Jesus! We left and later learned that she was released from the hospital just after. Two days before we were in a village in which we are establishing a new church. We split into two groups and walked around the nieghborhood meeting people,praying for them, and sharing the word of God. Towards the end we went and prayed for a man named Francis. He explained that his legs were going numb and he had a lot of pain in them and in his back. It sounded to me like a slipped disk in his lower back which was likely because he is a construction worker. We prayed for him and the pain left and his mobility and feeling were completely restored. He was rejoicing, he was soo happy! Amen! We are going out today to follow up in the community and then we are going to clean a large warehouse which the Lord has provided for us to start the new church!
Love Isaac and Brittany

Sierra Leone

2007-09-25T07:48:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of Brittany in our room. It is a really wonderful room and we are so grateful for it.

This is the way the rest of the house looks now we are going to add an upstairs and the plan is to house 15 or so orphans.

This is Andrew putting up a door he made on one of the bathrooms today. He made the door himself and he used 120 peices of wood (I counted :))

This is where Andrew and Angella and thier baby live. The inside is lined with cardboard. We are about to finish another room in the house and then they will move in. (We were so grateful they put us first and served us by letting us move in first)

This is Brittany with one of the peanut ladies we sat with them today and met an orphan kid named Ahmado(standing). Brit stops and buys peanuts and talks to them everyday.

Please continue to pray for us. It is really overwhelming to see all the need here, but in Jesus we are not overwhelmed. We long to get the orphanage started and to continue to learn to love and minister His love to the people here. We are glad we are here and feel that the Lord has put us right were we fit. We have become such good friends with Andrew and Angella (the pastor and his wife) it is real fellowship with a real connection at the heart. God is watching us and taking care of us at every move. Our trip here was filled with setbacks but God did miracles and now we are in our new home. We are loved here and we are protected and safe from harm. We love you and miss you all.
Isaac and Brittany

Minito Continued

2007-09-25T07:12:00.000-07:00

Some of you may have read my post in June about Minito the boy who the Lord directed me to. In the ensuing months I had to deal with the cultural and personal issues surrounding being friends with an 11 year old in Mozambique. First of all most of the children from the village love to come to the Iris base because the westerners play with them and sometimes give them things (shirts, chocolate, etc) Actually they have become proficient at minipulating the new visitor into giving them stuff. They sell the clothes often and buy cookies or whatever else they want. I learned that since I had shown special attention to Minito that there were extra expectaions. Minito would not settle with being treated the same as everyone else and would walk off in a huff if I gave somthing to someone else. Isaac became a vending machine. The other thing is that the majority of Mozambiquan parents dont show a lot of affection/attention to their children. 'Play' was lost during Portugese rule and oppression of the Makuah people. The children arent just there for stuff (although that is the initial reason) they stay and grow attached because of love. I had to learn to ignore the games/minipulations and just find ways to have fun, to joke, to play. I saw the fruit. Under the tent one day we were all worshiping and the Spirit of God came in power, everbody was just getting wrecked. Minito came in and was following me around. I decided to do an experiment. I thought 'Minito knows Jesus and so the Holy Spirit lives inside of him...Im gonna have him pray for people' As we went around praying for people (Id direct him to put his hands on someones shoulder for example) People started falling over and Minito became a praying machine. He was so excited that God was using him to touch people! Another time that was really touching was when I learned that he was not going to school when I confronted him he just began to cry. He cried and cried and after that he almost always went to school. We became really good friends. It showed me that even when people just want to use you, when you love them it overwhelms everything else. Minito walked to the airport(2 miles) the day we were leaving just to say goodby. This time we both cried and I knew that God had put us together to teach us both how to love.

Guest house in Johannesburg

2007-09-06T14:37:00.000-07:00

Waiting 12 hours until our overnight flight into Freetown. Ive been reading Matthew 9 where Jesus is eating in the house of a tax collector nammed Matthew. The pharisees wanted to know why Jesus ate with the tax collectors and 'sinners'. I think, and the scripture goes on to point-out, that it was because in the heart of Jesus is mercy.
Jason Upton has a song on his new album about Martin Luther King Jr. Jason Upton prays at the end and askes the Lord for mercy because we 'kill all the beautiful people... we cant deal with beautiful people.' He prays for the peacemakers to be revealed.
Jesus was a beautiful person, the most beautiful person. To sit and eat with someone at that time was to be identified with them. To be identified with sinners blew the religeous peoples' minds. This story is a window into the beauty of the heart of Jesus and the heart that he wants us to invest in.(Rev 3:18) Humility for the purpose of serviice. Not just any humility, this humility comes with a cost because to be a 'beautiful person' goes in the face of the worlds system. Actually it spits in the face of the worlds system (...our weapons are mighty) Because when a standard of love is raised up which makes the comfortable uncomfortable and they react. To be humble in love is a transparent place because it is 'Christ through you the hope of glory'. So as we go to Freetown we pray we can bring transparency, mercy, and love to dine with those that the Lord puts before us! To bring peace and help to turn the world right side up. In Jesus mighty name, Amen!

Next stop, Sierra Leone

2007-08-28T15:02:00.000-07:00

A week from tommorow we are getting on our plane for Freetown, Sierra Leone. Brit was asked if she was sad as everyone else is going home and we are just beginning. She realized that she wasnt, she said she can feel its not time to go home yet. I actually wonder if we are heading home :). Its not to much of a streach to think that way. The Lord has been blessing us. For instance living in a house with 8 other people as newlyweds was awesome somehow. We dont try to figure out why too much, we just know that God is making a way. Our hearts are ready though, mine actually aches because I want to be there. Brittany and I will be setting up our first little home. Sorry about not having pictures yet. I forgot the cord in the states and so it has been difficult. We love you all so much and we just ask for your prayers as we start our lives as missionaries.

Back from outreach

2007-08-28T15:00:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody
We got back on Saturday from our trip to Lachinga in the Niassa province of Mozambique. A lot of driving in the back of a truck. Beautiful terrain, mountanous, spacious, amazing. Nianga (sp?) is one of many rites of passage in Africa. Not all are harmful but Nianga is. We learned of its wickedness from a lawyer's assistant who last year had to take the police with her to get the 6 year old daughter of a missionary back from the witchdoctors... I hugged her after she told the story, as soon as I did she began to cry and tears welled up in my eyes... the little girl was abused and beaten but the scariest part was that after two days with the witchdoctors, the little girl didnt want to leave... The lawyers assistant recounted being beaten herself afterwards by an entire village because she helped the little girl. As we drove past villages we saw flags raised proudly and women dancing in the streets as they waited for the witchdoctors to pick up thier boys who for one month had undergone preparation for Nianga
We brought the gospel in the spirit of I Cor 1:23-24 "but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."
The Government has not made any laws against Nianga we learned because culturally there is such a facination about it even among government officials. The hope for this province lies in Jesus.
We stayed at an orphanage run by an Australian family with 6 children of thier own and 10 orphans. The first five of the children had been ones whos grandmother had taken them there for safety just before last years Nianga. They had been with relatives who were going to give them over to the abuse.
The villages we went to had never heard the gospel before. But God is doing an amazing thing. Hundreds and hundreds came to the Lord while we were there. Our translators cousin who was lame began to walk again after not being able to for a year and a half. Four churches were started, one in a village that had been compared to Sodom and Gommorrah. Change is coming and it needs the power of God... we are praying... God can do what only God can do. We left behind a missionary couple and another one arrived to help shortly after we left. "the harvest is plenty but the laborors are few" The problems in Niassa are spritual and those that are there who carry His Holy Spirit will be led by Him unto the freedom from the presence of Nianga. The Yao are beautiful people whos cultures the Lord is redeeming for himself.
We stayed at the orphanage which was like "little house on the prarie" with no electricity and water pulled from the well. After we left we learned that the children at the orphanage began to have dreams and visions of Jesus and the chains breaking off of Niassa. The littlest one described that she saw 'Jesus sitting on his 'big chair'' He was calling her name and the Lord is calling each child in Niassa by name.

Litchinga for dois semanas

2007-08-02T08:57:00.000-07:00

We are going after the school on the extended outreach. We are going to a province 12 hours away called Nassia and to a city called Litchinga. What we have heard about the area is really disturbing and the hope that is in Jesus really necessary. When we get there it will be for the last weeks of a six week period where the witch doctors take the 5-6 year old children to the bush and sexually abuse them. Much of northern mozambique has never heard the gospel. The Makuah were previously the largest unreached people group in the world. (Our base is surrounded by Makuah villages) Where we are going one village has been reached with the gospel and they have subsiquently made it illegal for the witchdoctors to continue with this practice. There is such a need for the love of Jesus and a need for a display of his power in the Spirit of Isaiah 61 "to set free the captives". It is going to be a tough two weeks. Pray for the safety and unity for our team, we have such awesome people we are going with. Pray that the people of the Nassia province will know Jesus "Agora!"
Ate Logo!

School

2007-08-02T08:42:00.000-07:00

The Holy Given School is coming to a close and it has been a really amazing opportunity. Thank you all of you who helped support us in going. I have learned a lot about two-thirds world culture in Africa. For instance if someone asks you for your stuff sometimes they just want you to joke with them because they want to be your friend. In class we have learned the theology of missions and all about the kingdome, it has been a real blessing to have this time here before we go to Sierra Leone. God knows what he is doing without Him we are totally unprepared. With Him we see time and time again that we have everything, absolutly everything we need.
We have had amazing miracles during some of the outreaches around the Cabo Delgado province. The mute have heard, the deaf have spoken, the lame have walked. Jesus is on the move. We have all recieve so much impartation of the heart of missions, of the heart of the Father, just by being here and watching how things are done. Hiedi and Rolland had a question and answer time today. It is really incredible to hear them say "We were just this mom and pop operation" and really see that that is what God has used... humility and an absolute belief in the death and ressurection of Jesus Christ.

Update from Isaac and Brittany

2007-07-30T19:28:00.001-07:00

Hello Friends and Family!

Isaac and are in Africa and we are both doing really well. We have
finally settled in and are getting used to our new surroundings. We
have met some truly amazing people and have been so blessed by these
new friendships. The school has been amazing and we are both learning
so much. We can barely keep up with all of the changes!

One day during class there was a guest speaker Che Ane. He was
talking about trusting the Lord with our finances. Towards the end of
his session he felt like the Lord was asking him to take up an
offering as a sign of us letting go of control of our finances. The
next day when we got to class Heidi began to speak. She started off
by telling us an amazing testimony. She told us that yesterday as the
accountant of Iris was figuring numbers for the month of June they
were $10,000 short of meeting the needs of the base. In order for
things to continue as normal they needed $10,000 in cash that day.
She informed us that it was impossible to wire cash in one day and
they didn't know what they were going to do. She went on to tell us
that this unexpected offering that Che Ane took plus a few other
donations she received that day totaled $10,040. Talk about an
example of trusting the Lord. It was amazing!

Although our experience has been amazing it has also been really
hard. This journal entry gives a little window into what has been
going on in my heart.

June 24, 2007

"Father, I give you my heart with my friends and family at home. I
feel so connected with everyone from home and I want to love them and
take care of them but it is impossible to do so. I want to love them
and want to take care of their hearts but I can't. I want to watch
you do your beautiful work in them but I can't. How do I let go? How
do I trust that your hand is big enough and strong enough to love the
people that I love so much? How do I let go when all I want to do is
hold on? I feel like I am leaving the very things that I poured my
heart and life into.

As I was crying out to the Lord a thought came into my head. Jesus
left His home too. He left Heaven, the Father, and everything He was
used to. He came to earth and became nothing. He was born in a manger
to a poor family. He lived life on earth and died a really painful
death. But why did He do it? He left His home for love. He left
everything comfortable for love. He became like us in order to love us
and lead us to the Father. So my question changed from looking back
to looking forward.

How do we become love? How do we leave our home and become nothing to
serve others? How do we take the low road for the gospel, for the
Kingdom? We left home and now it's time to love. We are walking like
Jesus. We are following in His footsteps. And He learned how to
depend on the Father for everything. He learned how to walk in
perfect union with the Father, completely abiding in Him.

So, this is the challenge set before us. And even though we have only
just begun we are learning to walk like our Savior.

We love you all so much.

Brittany and Isaac

Photos from Wedding & Reception (Dan)

2007-06-25T07:26:00.000-07:00

Dan here (Isaac's brother)... just wanted to post some links to photos from the wedding & reception: Wedding Photos | More Wedding Photos | Reception Photos | Breakfast Photos at Lighthouse

Honeymoon (late post)

2007-06-23T11:23:00.000-07:00

This was written in London, we just never posted it....

Hello friends and family. We made it to our first destination….London!
We are loving it here and are so thankful for time to rest before we head off to Africa. We had lunch at some little Italian place in some off part of London it was so fun! Our Guidence System in the rental car (which talks) has saved our butts!!! It’s been really fun to drive around and we have commented many times that our mothers, because of their driving, would be dead meat here ☺. The driving is so crazy.

We have had a lot of time to reflect on the wedding and we are still so amazed by what happened that night. It was perfect and powerful and more than we expected. We were so blessed by all of you that were able to attend. We felt so loved, celebrated, and supported the whole night. Brittany was the most beautiful bride. My favorite part was when I sang to her during the ceremony, she was absolutely stunning.
We sat and wrote all the wonderful moments of the night. So many little happenings blessed us so much. Some of my (Brittany) favorite moments include
Johnny calling himself a woman during the ceremony
Dad’s toast
Isaac’s song
Comments of people who God touched
All the people who were ministering (praying) for each other during the reception. (Isaac’s addition)
We would love to hear from some of you what you were blessed by…so comment if you have anything.
We will write again with some pictures of our honeymoon soon! Thanks Andy and Betty We are leaving tomorrow for Pemba Mozambique for the Holy Given School of Missions for the next three months. Pray that we adjust well and find the measure of grace Jesus has for us there.
(Update...God has been so amazing to us in our time here we feel like we are still having a honeymoon a lot of times and the Lord just keeps bringing to mind and perserving in is the testimony of how faithful he is and how much love He pours out on us...Read Psalms 92 for more insight :)

Your Comments

2007-06-23T11:08:00.001-07:00

Brit and I wanted to comment that we love your 'comments' so please keep em coming. We miss you all tremendously!

The School

2007-06-23T11:04:00.000-07:00

I realized the other day that this is really a school. The Bakers and Leslie Ann Leighton have constructed a really great curriculum and we are taught every day under a big tent about so many things. We have books to read, assignments to finish, projects to tackle. Along side of us are 200 mozambiquan pastors at the school. They have a different curriculum but some of it crosses over and we eat meals together. ‘Ontem’ (Yesterday) Heidi sent us out to the village for some real learning and she sent us with the pastors, because we need them!! It was such a good point made. My understanding of what she was saying was that we cant do any missions work without help and when we engage and learn from the culture we go into, when we humble ourselves it does something very powerful. So we went, four of us westerners, four pastors, and a bunch of children hanging all over us. A Makuah village is a sight to see. There is layer upon layer upon layer. Mud houses skinny alleys, high bamboo fences, and lots of activity. The pastors stopped and talked to women and men and shared the gospel. We prayed for two babies for healing. One woman received Jesus after the pastors explained the death and resurrection of Jesus. (I made friends with a village guy named Chilo, I am going to give him ‘like a mighty wind’ by Mel Tari tomorrow because he knows English and asked if I had any books he could read) Heidi wanted us to make some friends, to get out and engage, it felt like it was acting like Jesus to do it and so it was such a blessing. I am learning so much and my appetite for missions work is getting big. I love it and I love that my heart is becoming bigger (It is definitely not as big as it needs to be though ☺).
Isaac

Minito

2007-06-23T11:01:00.001-07:00

Before we went on outreach I was talking to all the village kids and the Lord pointed one out to me to be friends with. His name is Minito. In this culture boys are not valued very highly. It is a challenge here it has not been all good for 300 westerners a year to come to Pemba. Many of the children are always asking for everything which was not the case at first. Now we are instructed not to give to them which is hard because they do not have much. It is more important of course to look out for them in the long run. I love giving Minito my friendship, it is teaching me so much, it challenges me a lot but I love it. Its also hard getting to know him because of the language barrier I know ‘um poco’ Potuguese and he knows ‘a little’ English. But love transcends…
Isaac

Outreach

2007-06-23T10:52:00.000-07:00

Outreach
We went on an outreach last weekend. The name of the village continues to escape both of us, but the people do not. We are learning about a new culture…(Right now Brittany is freaking out because there is a rat in the room we are in (or a really big mouse)…welcome to Africa!!) Anyway, we did a weekend outreach in a village that was the last one on a long road close to Pemba (where we are). It is so close to Pemba and yet the people did not have enough food and were very isolated (the last couple miles we drove on a goat path). The Lord gave us favor as the leader of the village, a muslim, was happy to have us there. One man we talked to had been sick ever since he saw a witch doctor 21 years ago. It was a blessing to bring deliverance and hope to him as he received the Lord and burned his necklace from the witch doctor. I fell in love with the pastors we went with and two village boys named Paulo and Augusto who came as translators. They were so funny and so meek I loved their passion for Jesus. Here people see the dramatic need for the Lord and once He has them they are passionate about Him. Augusto introduced me to his mother the other day, he is 16 and already so powerful in the Lord. I prayed for him one day and saw that just his smile was so powerful for the Lord. Hallelujah! Amen! (everybody says that ☺) A lot of people accepted Jesus in the village and I saw 4 healings. Praise Jesus! I was so grateful for the opportunity to experience one aspect of missions work here. In just that one village alone there is so much need. The Lord showed me that in the prophesy about Jesus in Zachariah 9. Jesus comes in gently, riding on a donkey, bringing salvation. That was the word for this village. When people saw kindness and gentleness in us they opened up and their eyes opened up too to see the hope that is in Jesus. The Lord is moving throughout Mozambique, one village at a time, He loves these people and this is real revival, one village, one person at a time. The Lord is not done here though and it is so challenging to be a part of this school and see how the work is done, by becoming nothing for the gospel. In nome de Jesus Amen! (another thing everybody says)

Update number one from Pemba Mozambique

2007-06-18T01:47:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody
Brit and I are sitting here thinking of you all at an internet cafe in Pemba, Mozambique. We are going to post a few details about our honeymoon later but we forgot the file at home. We have been eating so well (thanks to goats, beans and vitamins) We just went shopping in town and are about to get eggs and fruit and head home. The school is amazing it is such an effective program, it equips people in every way I am so grateful to be here!
We went on outreach last weekend, for example, and we got to see the Lords work up close and personal. We were able to see healings and salvation and a whole village turned towards the Lord. I would like to write all about that in another post.
Basically everything has been well. We feel all the grace that is on us and it is so comforting to know that God's grace is in what we are doing. Brittany and I are growing together and just have had so much fun in all the growing and stretching.
Thank you all so much for coming to our wedding it was amazing!!
We love all of you and until next time.
The Lord bless you and keep you.
Isaac and Brittany

Healing and Provision in Jesus' name

2007-05-30T04:26:00.000-07:00

We are coming up on just over a week until the Big Day and our departure to Mozambique. It has been so exciting as it is winding down. The Lord's provision has blown me away in every area. We have found time for friends, gotten our plane tickets, visas, and luggage. We have purchased almost everthing we need and started to get packed. Brittany and I have been working together really well we have been planning each day and still somehow finding time for each other and the Lord. We are finding we have just enough time for everything. Family, friends, packing, moving, and the wedding. The Lord is so good! All the while Brittany and I are getting closer and closer. Its crazy how many details there are to get done. But by His grace we are getting them all done, and staying happy all the while. I never laugh as much in my whole life as I do with Brit. The Lord has shown His provision in other ways too. He healed my back today as we were at coffee with a friend. We were praying at perkins(brittany, her, and I) after the meal and she expressed that her back was getting really hot and wondered if either of ours needed prayer. I got excited and told her that mine did as it has been aching and really uncomfortable lately. The kind of pain that is really dull and annoying. Well she prayed for me and my back totally loosened up. I could streach probably three times as much as it could before and I feel soooo much better. Thank you Jesus!
Now the had part is going to be for me to stop messing with it (cracking it etc...:))

The heart of what we do

2007-05-24T10:37:00.000-07:00

My friend's grandaughter has decided to support us. She started reading about Heidi and Rolland and realized how important the work of 'caring for the one' is. She has raised over $100 dollars in a week and her goal is $3000. Her money is not going toward our plane tickets. Her money is the overflow. Her life is an overflow of the love of Jesus. Her life is a sign of the prosperity of love that we are giving ourselves for. Her life is the heart of all of this. I am so blessed to be a part of such riches. She is 8 and I pray my heart becomes more like hers :)

HELP International

2007-05-20T18:03:00.000-07:00

(HELP International) was initially founded to send medical supplies to impoverished countries throughout the world. In the first five years of operation, HELP has sent medical supplies and humanitarian aid to 56 countries around the world. Last year they experienced 1200% growth in durable goods shipped, $3.7M.
I met the founder whose name is Jene Wilson because a HELP volunteer visited my mom's office at the healthclub. I went and saw the operation and it was really amazing. It went from Jene's garage 5 years ago to a warehouse full of life and full of stuff ready to send. Jene said that whenever they get a new project its amazing how God provides and all that is needed gets donated.
I talked with Andrew Sesay the pastor we are joining in Sierra Leone and he sent us a list of things that are needed. The list includes things like school supplies, medical supplies, and duct tape :). Brittany and I feel that this is an opportunity for us to help out in Sierra Leone right away. Its going to take some time for us to get adjusted and find out where and how we fit and so having something to get started working towards is a real blessing to us.
Danielle and Darlene Meeker, two of our best friends, just graduated from CSU and are staying around in Fort Collins. So while we raise the money for the shipping costs and compile donations of all the things that we will ship (including a couple boxes of our own stuff :), they are going to be our liasons helping to keep the ball rolling.
If you want to directly help this is an amazing way to do it. Gene said that if customs dont get in the way sending a shipment would probably cost around $5000. We hope to ship upwards of $50,000 worth of needed donations.
We also want to send equipment to start a sound studio where Andrew and others can record thier music and reach people in Sierra Leone that way. So be praying that we can get some sound boards, speakers, guitars, etc... donated as well.
We are grateful to share all of this with you and Brittany and I just want to say thanks !

Photos

2007-04-19T06:23:00.000-07:00